The Docking Area was originally a strategic resource zone with a comprehensive economic chain built around its core of coal resources. However, it was later phased out due to low utilization efficiency and untimely optimization of its industrial structure. It is currently an arc-shaped, marginal area of the Light Rail-Liaofa Alliance. Its location is remote, and the district doesn't even have a civilian light-transporter rail yet, categorizing it as an underdeveloped area of the Northern Front.

“That's all the official description,” Jiang Lian said while driving, glancing at Shi Shanyan in the back through the rearview mirror. “The actual situation is a bit worse.”

Shi Shanyan had just woken up, his expression so lazy that it gave Jiang Lian the mistaken impression of being a full-time chauffeur. Shi Shanyan looked out the window and said, “This is more than ‘a bit’ worse, isn't it.”

The Docking Area's coke plants were all concentrated in the Di'ai Mountains on the edge of the suburbs. Every day, coke had to be hauled by transport trucks to the steel mills near the Light Rail. Never mind the suburbs, even the air quality in the city center was very poor, and the few remaining greenbelts were perpetually covered in dust. The only Light Rail served the military's large resource transport ships. It ran through the entire district, and every six hours, a tremendous loading sound would echo out.

“The properties along the Light Rail line are basically all unsold and abandoned,” Jiang Lian said, leaning on the steering wheel while waiting at a red light and pointing to an empty building on the side. “At first, everyone thought it would be a civilian Light Rail and that a convenient light-rail route would open to the Guangtong District. People went crazy, flocking here to speculate on property. But then the Southern Front conflict broke out, the Light Rail was designated for military use, and everyone was stuck with unsellable buildings.”

As Jiang Lian spoke, he glanced at Shi Shanyan again.

“You had just joined Black Panther back then, right?”

“Probably,” Shi Shanyan paused, then asked, “Does it still snow here in the winter?”

“It does,” Jiang Lian said after passing through the traffic light. “But when you wake up in the morning, everything is covered in soot and cinders; it's filthy. Still, winter is better than spring. The spring winds are strong. Your hair gets dirty the moment you step outside, and the wind blows dust all over your face. The environment in Guangtong is nice, right? When I video-chatted with Fu Yun, I saw that the sky there is still blue. When I retire, I want to move to Guangtong District. I heard the housing prices are decent, not as high as the Light Rail District, and the transportation is convenient too. I'll sell this car, save up a little more, and get a B6 model Light-Transporter Vehicle, bring my wife along…”

Jiang Lian was talkative out of nervousness. With every sentence he spoke, he tried to gauge Shi Shanyan's expression in the rearview mirror. Even though Shi Shanyan was wearing a Restraint Lock, no one could guarantee he wouldn't suddenly get angry and attack him with it.

Jiang Lian was in charge of a serial murder case in the Docking Area and was wary of anyone with antisocial personality disorder. You couldn't predict their actions using normal patterns of thought. In Jiang Lian's view, their thought processes were fundamentally different from those of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, Shi Shanyan wasn't interested in Jiang Lian. He leaned against the seatback, drowsy, squinting in the sunlight as if he were already asleep.

......

The ten o'clock alarm rang, and Yan Junxun got up on time. His black hair was sticking up all over from sleep. He shuffled into the bathroom in his slippers and saw that the turtle kept by the indoor system had climbed into the bathtub.

“Hey—” Yan Junxun's voice was a little weak just after waking up. He scratched his hair. “Get it out of there, quickly.”

The indoor system was a virtual Panda half the height of a person. It ran in from outside the door, struggled to scoop up the Turtle, and panted from the effort. “Mr. Yan, I've been giving it weight-loss lessons recently. It's gotten so fat I can barely hold it anymore.”

Yan Junxun squeezed toothpaste onto his brush. “You're raising the wrong species.”

“Well, nothing to be done about that,” the Panda said, standing by Yan Junxun's leg as it placed the Turtle back in its tank. “It’s already gotten very big.”

Yan Junxun brushed his teeth in front of the mirror. Just then, the Light Rail passed by, and the whole room vibrated with a hum. He mimicked an electric toothbrush, brushing his teeth quickly in time with the sound of the Light Rail.

The Panda stood on a stool and leaned over the table, saying, “I’ve prepared toast and eggs for Mr. Yan today. Please finish the milk as well.”

Yan Junxun sat down, pushed the milk away, and said, “Don’t buy milk anymore.”

“Can we not afford it anymore? Oh my,” the Panda fretted, covering its mouth with its paws. “Can we keep living here? It just occurred to me, you haven't gone out to work in half a month.”

Yan Junxun's home was tiny. There wasn't even enough space for a dining table between the living room and the kitchen. The bedroom was a tatami room to save space, and his daily activities were confined to the desk near the window. As far as the eye could see, the room was filled with books. The most conspicuous were the comics, standing in stacks against the corner of the wall as if in punishment.

“I’ve been living frugally and planning carefully,” the Panda said, propping its chin on its paws. “We can’t sleep on the streets. You’ve caught too many people for the Special Inspectorate Bureau in the past. Any one of them could kill us.”

Yan Junxun bit into a fried egg, tapped open the light screen, and played Monday's news.

“This killer likes to strike on Fridays,” a Docking Area reporter whom Yan Junxun detested said to the camera. “The currently known victims are all male. The victim from last week, a Mr. Huo, lived alone for many years. Last night, pieces of his body were discovered in a drainage ditch in the Diba Residential Community…”

The doorbell suddenly rang.

Yan Junxun stuffed the toast into his mouth and motioned for the Panda to open the door.

“It must be Jiang Lian,” the Panda said knowingly, jumping off the stool. “He needs your help with a case.”

Yan Junxun waited for the Panda to get up, then grabbed the milk and poured it down the kitchen sink. Just as he finished, the Panda called out happily from the doorway, “Mr. Yan, we have another guest today!”

Yan Junxun had a bad feeling. He peeked his head out from the kitchen and, sure enough, saw Shi Shanyan.

......

Shi Shanyan sat on the single-person sofa, giving Yan Junxun's home a cursory look.

The owner probably liked warm colors; both the door curtain and the table mat were made of floral fabric with lace trim. The living room was covered with a light brown carpet, a Western Line diamond-patterned textile. A few small bookcases were huddled together in the corner, and books were strewn casually on the sofa and coffee table. The kitchen was too narrow, and the Panda looked a little comical squeezed inside making tea, but the dishes and chopsticks were stored neatly, showing that the Panda was taking good care of its owner.

How unexpected.

To find an indoor system in the Docking Area that handled all household duties was surprising enough; it was even raising a pet on its own.

Jiang Lian sat cross-legged on the carpet. Shi Shanyan noticed he was very careful, trying his best not to touch any of the furnishings. He rolled up his shirt sleeves, lit up his light screen, and said to the Panda in the kitchen, “Panda, could you please dim the room?”

The curtains swished shut, which barely counted as dimming the room.

“I was supposed to give you two some time to get acclimated, but the case came up at just the right moment.” Jiang Lian pulled up a photo. “Take a look at this. The news just came in this morning.”

Yan Junxun held a glass of ice water, his sticking-up hair bobbing as he drank. His silent gaze swept back and forth across the photo several times. It was as if he had finally woken up, captivated by the intensely colored photograph.

“These are the body fragments found three months ago in a drainage ditch in the Huihe Residential Community. The surface of the fragments shows abrasions and contusions from various directions, and the wound edges are jagged. The victim was identified as a resident of the community, Liu Xincheng.” Jiang Lian swiped to the next photo. “These are the body fragments found two months ago in a drainage ditch in the Puli Residential Community. The surface again shows abrasions and contusions from various directions, and the wound edges are jagged. Same as with Liu Xincheng, it appears to have been cut by a blunt instrument. The victim was also a resident of that community. This last one was found last night in a drainage ditch in the Diba Residential Community…”

Jiang Lian's expression became indescribable.

“…pieces of the body and other remains. The wounds were torn, and the damage was severe. Based on the footprints at the scene, it seems wild dogs mauled the body after it was dumped.”

“Uh-huh,” Shi Shanyan chimed in naturally, as if he had already worked with these two countless times. “Was this victim also a resident of the community where the body parts were found?”

“Not exactly,” Jiang Lian continued swiping through the photos. “The last victim's name is Huo Qingjun. Unlike the previous two victims, he was a gate guard for the Diba Residential Community. He lived alone in the basement of a derelict high-rise two kilometers away from the community.”

“Excuse me, Panda,” Shi Shanyan said politely. “Could you please get me a glass of hot milk?”

The Panda peeked its head out and said enthusiastically, “No problem at all, Mr. Shi!”

Yan Junxun habitually squeezed his glass. He couldn't stand the heat, so the ice water felt very comfortable. Only when he was comfortable could his mind become a clean slate. He didn't hear the conversation between Shi Shanyan and the Panda, lost in his own world, his senses dulled.

“The method of dumping the body was consistent across all three cases, and the dismemberment technique was the same,” Jiang Lian said, making way for the Panda. “Even the victims' histories are strikingly similar.”

“Histories?”

Jiang Lian displayed the files of the three victims side-by-side and said, “All three of them have been in the news for sexual assault.”

“Leave the files,” Yan Junxun said, taking a sip of water. He held a small ice cube in his mouth and crunched it between his teeth. The icy shock spread from his mouth through his body. “I want to take a look.”